Pretentious
by jerna.collins
Summary: A certain raven haired man witnesses the Rain Woman weep in the night and he ought to find out why. (Gruvia)


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fairy Tail.

**"Pretentious"**  
A One Shot Gruvia Fan Fiction

It's just the usual.

Macao and Wakaba making bets over God knows what. Cana taking big gulps of booze from a large barrel. Happy trying to catch Carla's attention. Elfman exclaiming in such voice about things being a man. Makarov thanking whoever created the world that he has curvaceous, beautiful, kind-hearted and sexy mages in his guild and that his "children" are safe, alive and well. Plus, they're brawling and calling each other LAME words such as "bastard." Fairy Tail's master will be worried sick if they'd stop doing these things. Even if they challenge and beat the crap out of their fellow guild mates every single day, it's an undeniable fact that they love each other. They're more of a family than a guild.

It really is just the usual, Gray thinks, watching a certain water mage from the corner of his vision while she's teasing Gajeel (a blushing Gajeel, actually) over something- about Levy maybe- in her ever bubbly self.

Or at least that's who she is now, while the sun is still shining up in the clear blue sky and everybody from fairy Tail is around her. This is who she is: the happy, crazy and funny Juvia Lockser.

but is this really her? Maybe she's just wearing a mask to conceal her darkness. Gray understands this, of course, almost everyone in his guild had a tragic, horrible and unhappy past but it is now very well behind them. But sometimes, those awful memories would come back out of nowhere and you have nothing to do about it except to wear a mask with a wide grin. Gray thinks of this as he happens to overhear Erza and Lucy's conversation in front of him. He pretends not to pay attention by placing a hand under his chin, his elbow on the table as he closes his eyes, gesturing that he is deeply uninterested in whatever the two women are talking about.

"Erza, I thnk there's something weird happening around fairy Hills during the night," the celestial mage says.

"Like what?" the Titania answers.

There's a short pause, then Lucy leans in near Erza and whispers, still enough for the currenly-pretending-he-doesn't-give-a-shit ice mage to hear.

"I don't know. It's like it rains every three AM and when I go for a walk when I wake up around five, only a few meters from the dorm is wet."

Erza hums for a moment. "Don't worry," she says. "It's just Juvia."

Gray swears his ears just twitched upon hearing her name.

"Why?" Lucy asks.

"That, I couldn't answer because i don't know why either."

End of conversation.

Gray's eyes shoot open when he feels someone clinging to him, like a life line. It's none other than Juvia, of course.

"Gray-sama," she says with a giggle.

Gray looks desperately at Erza, his eyes pleading for help but she just sends him a quiet smile.

"NOT AGAIN. GET OFF ME GET OFF ME GET OFF ME! SOMEBODY FREAKING HELP!"

Everybody inside Fairy Tail turns their head to see a panicking but a red-faced Gray Fullbuster. They laugh at the sight of the ice mage only in his boxers being hugged passionately and maybe too tightly by the ever loyal, faithful and in love Juvia Lockser.

After a lot of fidgeting and squirming and screaming for help from Gray and undying declarations of love from Juvia, she finally stops hugging him and decides to bug the Iron Dragon Slayer again.

The raven haired man might look sexily haggard and flustered on the outside, but his mind is busy thinking why on Earth will Juvia make it rain three in the goddamned morning? What would her reason be? Why not make it pour down upon Earth right now? Why wait for the dead of the night? Why keep it all inside if everybody will just clearly understand it if she'll release how she feels through rain?

After all the questioning and wondering within his mind, it answers back to him like: I DON'T KNOW, YOU LAME IDIOT. I HAVE NO IDEA. IF YOU WANT ANSWERS, THEN GO ASK HER.

But Gray strongly refuses to believe that Juvia will ever do such weird thing. He took it away before, didn't he? He stopped it. So what would be another possible cause why it all came back again? Why do those awful storm clouds find their way to enter her life for the second time?

Still. . . no. He doesn't know why or when but he finds himself agreeing with _himself _to have evidence first that Juvia does cause the rain around Fairy Hills, and after that, he'll find the reason why. That's right. He will not jump into conclusions. Yet.

"NO NO NO DON'T BE SUCH A LAME ASSHOLE. IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM," he mutters to himself but then he fixes his eyes on her- not for too long- who is laughing and overflowing with brightness and energy but Gray could see it in her cerulean orbs that she's hiding something and those dark circles under her eyes tell that she's not sleeping well. Although she is at the moment pretending to be happy, someone who observes her every move could determine that behind those cobalt lashes, behind the sparkling blue in her orbs- her eyes is full of despair.

* * *

It's already two twenty-three AM and Gray isn't asleep yet. He keeps on mulling over whether he should go to Fairy Hills to find his answers and the truth as well.

Actually, it would be all right with him to just toss the matter away and get a good night's sleep because he isn't the kind of person who is fond of minding other people's business and know about their personal lives IF ONLY there is no feeling of guilt burning in his gut right now. Why does he feel this way? Oh yeah, it's because he's ashamed of the fact that there is a possibility that somehow he's part of the big "WHY" that's eating him alive since Lucy and Erza's conversation.

But he really could be the cause.

He closes his eyes tightly and orders himself to sleep but it's like the guilt he feels is the thing that keeps him awake.

He gets up and puts his clothes on and he gets out of his house. Good thing that Fairy Hills isn't really that far. A little bit.

* * *

Just as he's about ten meters away from the said dorm, it begins to rain heavily. He turns his head to look behind him- it isn't raining. It's only here, within the perimeter of Fairy Hills.

_Is Juvia in her room right now? _he asks himself. He doesn't know what the reason is, but a part of him is screaming that she's at the beach behind the dorm.

_Because of Meredy's sensory link, maybe, _he jokingly thinks.

He thinks: _What the hell am I doing?_

He thinks: _I should go home._

He thinks: _I don't damn know why on Earth I am doing this._

But he lets his feet drag him to wherever they think the water mage might be. He doesn't care if he's soaking wet. But it seems there's something different with her rain from the rest. Every drop that lands on his skin, on him- stings. It's like her tears are the raindrops; full of angst and misery.

As he comes closer to the beach, he could see someone standing. It's Juvia in her silky night gown, now sticking to her body due to the rain.

Gray pauses. It seems like he's glued to his spot at the moment. He can't help but admire how beautiful and gorgeous she looks under the rain but at the same time, even when her back is turned on him, he could feel her despair.

he shoves his hands in his pockets that are all wet and he walks toward her. He clears his throat to find a single word, a syllable or two to say. "Juvia."

She turns her head around, her mouth trembling. But she quickly covers this up by sending him a smile that could light up all of Magnolia. But he could see her loneliness underneath her pretense happiness.

"Gray-sama is here early in the morning," she says. "Juvia wonders what is it that Gray-sama wants?"

"Uh . . ." _think you idiot. Don't be LAME. _"Uh, are you causing this?"

She nods her head vigorously. "Juvia misses the rain, you see."

_Damn, look at her eyes. Look at her bloodshot eyes._

"No, you don't," Gray says quietly but with intensity. "You willed it to be gone before, right? But it won't go away because you had darkness and hatred within you."

"She looks down to avoid his eyes. "Juvia . . . she . . . it's just," she stutters. Even she's soaked in the rain, her tears are unmistakably and obviously running down her cheeks. "You're right," she says as she looks at him again, with a wide smile plastered on her face.

Seeing her faking that smile just brings something negative in him.

"So, why?" Gray asks.

She is silent. The rain is so loud and heavy and he can feel her hesitation. _Maybe if she could let it all out, the rain will stop, _Gray thinks.

"Juvia doesn't want anybody to know," she says, shaking her head.

"Not even your comrades?"

"It's just that . . . they will probably think Juvia is LAME and absurd; crying over something shallow."

"You should at least share it to anyone even if it's not that deep. And people from Fairy Tail do not laugh at one's problem. We help you, we help each other get through it."

And this is true.

"Do you know why the rain won't stop or why'd it started to chase you again?" Gray asks.

"Because Juvia just plainly misses the rain, Gray-sama," she answers, her voice shaking.

"No," Gray disagrees with her. Neither him knows the answer but then it hit him. "It's because you're pretending you're fine when everything isn't even in their right places." he pauses. "And now you cry because it's raining. So, tell me."

Juvia locks her knees, trying to be strong. She attempts to smile again at Gray to show to him that she's fine. But all she can manage is to lift a corner of her lips.

"It's just Juvia has been trying to earn Gray-sama's love for so long but it seems he doesn't even like her in the least," she says. "Juvia might look like a crazy person saying things about love or clinging to you all the time but she swears she is sincere and serious when she tells you that she loves you."

The rain somehow becomes to get less heavy. Gray doesn't know what to say about Juvia's confession.

"It hurts Juvia to do all stupid and LAME things for love but she has to. But why can't Gray-sama acknowledge her effort?"

"Just stop the rain" is all Gray could manage to say.

"Why, Gray-sama, do you even care if Juvia is causing this?" she asks.

"Please," he says.

Juvia closes her eyes and concentrates. Gray looks at her, seeing how awful he's done to her. How could he be so insensitive?

Then the rain just becomes into a thin drizzle.

"The thing that confuses Juvia is if you don't like or love her, then why don't you push her away?"

He looks into her cerulean orbs, still bright with tears, her blue hair sticking on her wet face. She looks so vulnerable and lonely.

"Whatever you do, whatever will happen, swear you'll never do this again. Swear you'll stop the rain as best as you could."

"But Juvia is sad and she needs to let it all out."

"No. Just be . . . patient."

"Juvia has been waiting for so long."

"Well, be more patient,' Gray says.

"If Gray-sama says so," she answers. She tells herself not to do this again because that's what her Gray-sama told her. And now that she says what she has to say, the rain stops.

But still . . .

"Is Juvia that undesirable?"

Silence.

"Does Gray-sama not see or feel her love for him?"

Silence.

"Juvia's been doing real hard to earn Gray-sama's love."

Silence.

"I'm on my way," he quietly says.

"What?"

"I'm on my way," he repeats.

"On your way to where, Gray-sama?" she asks, not getting what he said.

"It's not exactly a where but it's a feeling."

"What feeling?" Juvia asks with a smile but with confusion etched on her face.

"Oh, you'll find out," he answers coolly with a smirk, his hands in his pockets. His hair is still dripping wet with rainwater. He sends her a little smile and walks away, leaving the water mage giggling and shrieking three-thirty in the morning, "GRAY-SAMA, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS KILL JUVIA WITH SUSPENSE?!"

**END.**

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for reading and I would very much appreciate it if you share to me what you think about this fan fic. I seriously need your opinion about this because I now have less faith in myself and I was convinced by "someone" that I am a pretty lame writer. But I know that we can't impress everyone. And now I have a fear that everybody might think this fic is, um, lame. But I don't blame you if you think that, because I pretty much think it is, too. Gray is probably OOC here, and I apologize for it. I am deeply grateful to **lexie loves ****anime **for correcting my mistake in my Romanian translation in "Truth to be Told." (Well, it was Google Translate's translationXD) Anyway, is this fic good? Fine? Ugly? Horrible? Lame? Tell me what you think^^


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